Axial field electric machine

ABSTRACT

An axial field electric machine having an improved efficiency includes a number of magnetic elements (e.g., as a rotor) as annular disks magnetized to provide multiple sector-shaped poles. Each sector has a polarity opposite that of an adjacent sector, and each sector is polarized through the thickness of the disk. The poles of each disk are aligned with opposite poles of each adjacent magnet. Metal members adjacent the outermost disks contain the flux; The axial field electric machine also includes one or more conductor elements (e.g., as a stator) which include a number of conductor phases that traverse the flux emanating between poles of axially adjacent magnetic elements. The design of the axial field electric machine including the gap spacing between adjacent magnetic elements, the transition width between adjacent poles on each magnetic element, the number of poles, the number and width or conductor phases in the conductor element is based on the physical characteristics of the magnetic elements to increase efficiency.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. applicationSer. No. 08/763,824, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated byreference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to electric machines ormotor/generators and, more specifically, to permanent magnet, axialfield electric machines.

2. Description of the Related Art

An electric motor/generator, referred to in the art as an electricmachine, is a device that converts electrical energy to mechanicalenergy and/or mechanical energy to electrical energy. Since electricmachines appear more commonly as motors the ensuing discussion oftenassumes that electric energy is being converted to mechanical energy.However, those knowledgeable in the art recognize that the descriptionbelow applies equally well to both motors and generators.

Electric machines generally operate based on Faraday's law, which can bewritten as e=BLv, and the Lorentz force equation, which is often writtenas F=BLi. In electric machines that utilize rotational motion, theseequations can be written as e=k₁BLω and T=k₂BLi respectively. Faraday'slaw describes the speed voltage or back EMF (electromotive force), e,that appears across motor conductors due to the geometrically orthogonalinteraction of a magnetic field having flux density B with conductors oflength L traveling at a rotational speed ω. The Lorentz force equationdescribes the torque T generated by the geometrically orthogonalinteraction of a magnetic field having flux density, B, with conductorsof length L carrying current i. The coefficients k₁ and k₂ are constantsthat are a function of motor geometry, material properties, and designparameters.

A variety of electric machine types exist in the art based on how theygenerate the magnetic field and on how they control the flow ofelectrical energy in the conductors exposed to the magnetic field. Thepresent invention pertains to electric machines where the magnetic fieldB is primarily generated by permanent magnets affixed to the rotatingassembly, or rotor of the machine; whereas the conductors are affixed tothe stationary assembly, or stator of the machine and electroniccircuitry is used to control the flow of electrical energy. In the artthis type of machine is commonly called a brushless DC motor or abrushless permanent magnet machine. In addition, such electric machinescan be modified to use induction to generate the magnetic field. In thiscase the machine is commonly called an induction motor.

Electric machines that produce rotational motion are classified aseither radial field or axial field. Radial field machines have aradially directed magnetic field interacting with axially directedconductors, leading to rotational motion. On the other hand, axial fieldmachines have an axially directed magnetic field interacting withradially directed conductors, leading to rotational motion. Of these twomachine topologies, the axial field machine appears much less often. Inthe art, axial field machines are most often found in applicationswhere: (i) there is insufficient axial length to accommodate a radialfield machine, (ii) relatively little torque is needed, and (iii) motorenergy conversion efficiency is not a primary concern. The reasons whyaxial field machines generally appear less often than radial fieldmachines include: (a) more familiarity with radial field machines, (b)the desire to minimize cost by reusing existing radial field machinetooling, and (c) the lack of market incentive to address manufacturingissues unique to axial field machines.

In terms of quantity produced, the spindle motor in computer floppy diskdrives is the most commonly appearing axial field electric machine. Inthis application minimizing cost is the most critical design goal. As aresult, this motor does not utilize materials, design steps, orconstruction techniques that lead to high efficiency over a broad rangeof speeds, high motor constant, or high power density. The floppy diskspindle motor uses an axial field topology solely because there isinsufficient axial space available inside the floppy disk housing to usea radial field motor. This motor is typically manufactured with onerotor element and one stator element, with the stator element beingconstructed from a steel-backed printed circuit board upon which thestator windings and motor electric drive circuitry are connected.

The present invention discloses design aspects for axial field machinesthat offer greater performance than common axial field machines andperformance that meets, exceeds, or is competitive with radial fieldmachines. Performance in this case includes the measures of: (i) energyconversion efficiency, (ii) motor constant, (iii) gravimetric powerdensity, (iv) volumetric power density, (v) manufacturing cost, and (vi)construction flexibility due to modular construction.

Energy conversion efficiency describes how well an electric machineconverts energy. For a motor, efficiency can be written asη=(Power Out)/(Power In)=(Tω)/(Tω+P _(r) +P _(c) +P _(m))  (Eq. 1)where T is torque, ω is rotational speed, P_(r) is resistive loss i.e.,the so called I²R loss, which represents power converted to heat by theresistance of the current carrying conductors in the motor, P_(c) is thecore loss, which represents power converted to heat due to hysteresisand eddy current losses in the conductive and magnetic materials used inthe motor, and P_(m) is the mechanical loss, which includes bearingloss, windage, etc. Core and mechanical losses generally increase withthe square of speed, so efficiency typically increases from zero at zerospeed, to some peak value at some rated speed, then decreases beyondthat rated speed. For constant speed applications, achieving high peakefficiency at a constant rated speed is all that is important. Forvariable speed applications, however, it is important to maximize therange of speeds over which maximum efficiency can be achieved. Asdefined in Eq. 1, efficiency is unitless and is often expressed as apercentage, where 100% efficiency reflects the ideal electric machine.

Referring to FIG. 30, a graph is presented showing the efficiency of atypical electric machine known in the art at various speeds and torque.The operation of the electric machine is bounded by a peak speed, a peaktorque, and a maximum power output. In this example, the electricmachine has a peak efficiency of 90% at a particular operating point(i.e., at a particular rated speed and torque). At other operatingpoints, however, the efficiency drops off precipitously as indicated bythe contours of constant efficiency. In a traction application, forexample, when the electric machine is operated at different operatingpoints on the graph, the average efficiency will be much lower than peakefficiency.

In servomotor applications where a motor does not turn continuously butrather starts and stops frequently, efficiency is not a good measure ofmotor performance because efficiency is zero at zero speed, i.e., ω=0.Under these conditions, the ability to produce torque with minimumlosses is important. In the art the term motor constant describes themotor characteristic. Motor constant can be written and simplified as$\begin{matrix}{K_{m} = {\frac{T}{\sqrt{P_{r}}} = {\frac{K_{T}I}{\sqrt{I^{2}R}} = \frac{K_{T}}{\sqrt{R}}}}} & ( {{Eq}.\quad 2} )\end{matrix}$where K_(T) is the motor torque constant, I is the net motor current,and R is the net motor resistance. Core loss and mechanical loss are notincluded in the motor constant because these losses are zero at zerospeed. The square root of P_(r) is used in Eq. 2 because it makes themotor constant independent of current, which makes it independent of anymotor load and makes it easier to compare the performance of differentmotors. Based on Eq. 1 and Eq. 2, it is clear that a motor exhibitinghigh efficiency will generally exhibit a high motor constant. Likewise,if a motor exhibits minimal core loss and mechanical loss, a motorhaving a high motor constant will also exhibit high efficiency.

Gravimetric and volumetric power density are defined as the ratio ofoutput power, e.g., Tω for a motor, to the mass and volume of themachine, respectively. As such, gravimetric power density is oftenspecified in terms of watts per pound, horsepower per pound, orkilowatts per kilogram. Likewise, volumetric power density is oftenspecified in terms of watts per cubic inch or kilowatts per cubic meter.In most cases, there is a high degree of correlation between these twomeasures of power density. That is, given that electric machines aregenerally constructed from the same types of materials, their mass isdirectly proportional to their volume, thus a motor having a highgravimetric power density, will also exhibit a high volumetric powerdensity. Given this correlation, it is common to use the term powerdensity to mean either gravimetric or volumetric power density or both.In any case, since output power is the product of torque and speed,power density increases linearly with speed to the point where it is nolonger possible to maintain torque production, at which point powerdensity decreases. In addition, given that torque is generallyproportional to current as shown in Eq. 2, the ability to produce torqueis only limited by the ability to remove the heat created by theresulting I²R loss P_(r) and the speed dependent losses P_(c) and P_(m),which decrease efficiency. As a result, power density is generallyproportional to efficiency because more power can be safely produced ina more efficient motor. For example, a highly efficient motor generatesless heat for a given torque output than a less efficient motor, whichin turn implies that the more highly efficient motor can generate moretorque and therefore have higher power density, while generating thesame amount of heat as the less efficient motor.

In the art, electric machines of varying outputs generally requiresignificant unique tooling for each voltage and torque level. For agiven diameter it is typical to specify a number of rotor and statorlengths, with similar but different parts and tooling required for eachrotor and stator. For example, in a brushless DC motor each stator maybe made from the same stator laminations stacked to various lengths, butthe windings are unique for every length as well as for every voltagelevel at any fixed length. As a result, additional cost is incurred intraditional motors due to the additional capital expense and inventoryrequired to support a family of motors at a given diameter.

In view of the above, there is a need for an improved axialfield-electric machine that provides a high efficiency over a widevariety of speeds and torque and a high gravimetric and volumetric powerdensity over a wide range of speeds and torque. There is also a need foran improved axial field electric machine that allows for easymodification of the rotor and/or stator to increase or decrease thepower output of the electric machine.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

These and other needs are satisfied by the axial field electric machineof the present invention. Based on the above discussion, the presentinvention discloses design aspects for an axial field electric machinethat maximize efficiency, motor constant, power density, as well asoffer the benefits of modular construction, and the potential forreduced cost. Efficiency and motor constant are maximized by maximizingthe production of torque while incurring minimal losses. In particular,one aspect of the invention eliminates all ferromagnetic material thatincurs core loss, thereby essentially eliminating P_(c) from Eq. 1,above (although eddy current losses in the conductors must beconsidered). Doing so increases peak efficiency, broadens the range ofspeeds over which efficiency is high, and increases power density byeliminating the high mass associated with the added stationaryferromagnetic material. In addition, other aspects of the inventionminimizes P_(r), which maximize motor constant and maximizes the peakefficiency. Power density is maximized further according to anembodiment of the present invention by optimum selection of the amountof permanent magnet material relative to stator volume. Modularconstruction allows a whole family of motors at varying power levels tobe constructed by stacking sets of identical rotor components and statorcomponents axially within the same motor. Since each rotor and stator isidentical, no duplication of capital cost is incurred to produce a wholefamily of motors. In addition, other aspects of the invention make itpossible to select a variety of voltage levels by simply changing theway individual stators are connected, thereby minimizing the inventoryrequired to support a whole family of motors.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a pictorial view of an exemplary axial field electric machineof the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken on line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a face view of a magnetic element of the axial field electricmachine, showing the polarization of the magnet;

FIG. 5 is a side elevation view of a magnetic element;

FIG. 6 is a graphical illustration of the magnetic flux emanating from amagnetic element;

FIG. 7 is a plot showing the demagnetization characteristics ofpermanent magnets and the operating point of a magnet when used in anelectric machine constructed according to the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing an air conditioner unit including anaxial field electric machine constructed according to an embodiment ofthe present invention.

FIG. 9 is a pictorial view of a shaft for use in the axial fieldelectric machine of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a pictorial view of a hub that can be mounted to the shaft ofFIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a pictorial view of a conductor element of the axial fieldelectric machine;

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of an axial field electric machineconstructed according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram of the conductor element windingarrangement of FIG. 11;

FIG. 14 is a pictorial view of an alternative conductor element windingarrangement having single-turn, rectangular cross-section conductors;

FIG. 15 is a flux diagram for a plurality of magnetic elements;

FIGS. 16 a-f are views of a plurality of subassemblies in an alternativeconductor element;

FIG. 17 is a top plan view of another subassembly in an alternativeconductor element illustrating both sides of the subassembly;

FIG. 18 is a sectional view taken along line 18-18 of FIG. 17, showingmultiple subassemblies;

FIG. 19 is a sectional view taken along line 19-19 of FIG. 17;

FIG. 20 is a partial top plan view similar to FIG. 17, but showing theportion of the conductor element winding arrangement relating to 12phases of windings of one of the subassemblies;

FIG. 21 is a block diagram of a motor controller;

FIG. 22 is a timing diagram of the motor signals generated by the motorcontroller of FIG. 21;

FIG. 23 is a schematic diagram of the conductor elements connected toone another in a configuration selected to operate the axial fieldelectric machine at a first voltage;

FIG. 24 is a schematic diagram of the conductor elements connected toone another in a configuration selected to operate the axial fieldelectric machine at a second voltage;

FIG. 25 is a schematic diagram of the conductor elements connected in aconfiguration selected to operate the axial field electric machine at athird voltage;

FIG. 26 is, in part, a front elevation view of a vehicle having theaxial field electric machine disposed within a wheel and, in part, across-sectional detail view of an alternative embodiment of the axial,field electric machine suitable for installation within the wheel.

FIG. 27 is a plan view of a frame used for a conductor element in anaxial field electric machine constructed according to an embodiment ofthe present invention.

FIG. 28 is a view of a connector support element for an axial fieldelectric machine constructed according to an embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 29 is a view of a partially completed axial field electric machineconstructed according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 30 is a graph depicting contours of constant efficiency for atypical electric machine known in the art.

FIG. 31 is a graph depicting contours of constant efficiency for anelectric machine constructed according to an embodiment of the presentinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

With reference to the drawing figures, a number of embodiments of thepresent invention are shown that maximize peak efficiency, efficiencyover a broad range of speeds, motor constant, and power density. Alsowith reference to the drawing figures, an axial field electric machineaccording to embodiments of the present invention will be described thathas a modular design that allows for cost effective creation of anentire family of machines for varying applications.

Conductor Element

As used herein, the term conductor element refers to an element of theaxial field electric machine that provides conductors that traverse themagnetic flux generated by an adjacent magnet or magnetic element. In amotor application, the conductors in the conductor element carryelectric current in response to a motor controller, and in a generatorapplication, electric voltage is induced across the conductors by themagnet or magnetic element. In the examples given below, the stator ofthe axial field electric machine includes one or more conductorelements. One skilled in the art will recognize that in an alternativeembodiment, the conductor elements could also from the rotor of theaxial field electric machine, in which case magnetic elements form thestator of the electric machine.

To achieve a high power density, each conductor element is designed soas to maximize the amount of conductive material (e.g., as conductorphases) that traverses the magnetic flux from adjacent magnets ormagnetic elements. Conductive material that does not traverse thismagnetic flux contributes to the mass and losses of the machine andthereby reduces the efficiency and power density of the machine. Toachieve a modular design, it is advantageous if each conductor elementis similar in construction.

A first embodiment of a conductor element is shown in FIG. 14. In thisembodiment, the conductor element 121 includes four phase windings 122,124, 126, and 128, each having a dielectric coating or the like toelectrically insulate one phase winding from the other. Each conductorin the phase winding has a generally rectangular cross-sectional shapewith a generally constant axial thickness and a width that taperslinearly with the radius of the conductor element. As shown in FIG. 14,each phase winding starts at a first terminal point (e.g., firstterminal point 126 a of phase winding 126) at the outer periphery of theconductor element 121, extends in a radial direction as a radialconductor section 126 c towards the center of the conductor element,extends in an arcuate path at the center (not visible) and extends awayfrom the center as a radial conductor section 126 d to the outerperiphery of the conductor element to form a loop. Each phase windingmay include a number of loops around the conductor element. In thisexample, phase winding 126 includes four such loops and eight radialconductor sections 126 c-126 j between first terminal point 126 a and asecond terminal point 126 b distributed uniformly around the conductorelement. The radial conductor sections are connected at the center andperiphery by arcuate sections such as outer arcuate section 126 k andinner arcuate section 126 m.

The current path in conductor element 121 of FIG. 14 is shown in FIG.13. Phase winding 126, for example is shown as extending between a pointlabeled φ₃− and φ₃+ and crosses between the periphery of conductorelement 121 and an inner portion of the element eight times.

Returning to FIG. 14, in this example, each radial section of aconductor winding is offset from another radial section in the samephase winding by radial sections of each of the other phase windings. Inother words, radial section 126 c and radial section 126 d are offsetfrom each other by a radial section from each of phase windings 122,124, and 128. The phase windings define a generally planar or wheel-likestructure, with a total of 32 radial sections arranged in a spoke-likemanner. In this example, conductive sockets 42 are provided at theterminal points for electrically coupling one conductor element toanother.

As will be described in further detail below, conductor element 12.1 isadapted to be placed axially adjacent to a magnetic element such as amagnetic disk with sector shaped poles. The relationship of one of thesepoles to conductor element 121 is shown in FIG. 13 in a dashed outlineform as element 100. To maximize the amount of conductive material inthe conductor phases adjacent to the magnetic poles, each radial sectionis tapered or wedge-shaped, i.e., their widths decrease in a radiallyinward direction, thereby allowing them to be packed closely together inthe spoke-like arrangement. Phase windings 122, 124, 126 and 128 aremade of metal, preferably cast or otherwise formed into the illustratedwinding shape, but it may also be suitable to form dielectric coatedrectangular tapered metal wire into the illustrated winding shape toreduce eddy currents in the conductors. Packing conductors 122, 124, 126and 128 closely together maximizes the amount of their conductivematerial that passes through the flux. The ratio between the volume ofconductive material that passes through the magnetic flux and the volumeof the entire conductor element that passes through the flux is known asthe “fill factor.” The fill factor for the stator shown in FIG. 14 isgenerally greater than 80 percent and is typically between 60% and 90%.Increasing the fill factor maximizes the efficiency and motor constantas given in Eqs. 1 and 2 above by minimizing the resistance R of theconductive material. Power density is also improved by maximizing thefill factor even though the conductive material adds mass to the machinebecause the added conductive material promotes torque production.

In an alternative embodiment of the stator, each conductor elementcomprises one or more subassemblies, each formed, for example, ofprinted circuit material that has been suitably etched to form theconductor pattern and electrical interconnections between subassembliesdescribed below. The printed circuit material and etching process may beany such material and process known in the art that is commonly used tomanufacture printed circuit boards or flexible printed circuits in theelectronics industry. The subassemblies can be bonded together orotherwise attached to one another. The resulting multiple-layer printedcircuit conductor element functions in the same manner as conductorelement 121 in FIGS. 13 and 14, described above. In that regard, thisalternative conductor element may have any suitable number of conductorwindings and conductor phases. The alternative stator assembly may havea thickness as small as about 0.1 inches, thereby facilitating theconstruction of smaller axial field electric machines. Nevertheless, atypical alternative conductor element for a small electric machine(e.g., one producing 7.5 HP) may have a thickness of about 0.25 inches.Larger motors may be constructed using an alternative conductor elementhaving a thickness as great as about two inches.

This alternative conductor element includes one or more subassembliessuch as subassembly 129 in FIGS. 16 a-b. Subassembly 129 includes asubstrate 129 a having first and second sides, which is made of asuitable dielectric or insulating material. Multiple conductive traces131 are formed on substrate 129 a to provide conductor windings insubassembly 129. For example, substrate 129 a can be made of a commonsubstrate material such as FR4 or other thin sheet-like plasticmaterial. In this embodiment, subassembly 129 includes a compositematerial sheet, commonly referred to as “flex PC,” where substrate 129 ais a thin sheet-like plastic which is bonded to copper. For example,substrate 129 a can have a thickness less than about 0.010 —inches (10mils) thick and is preferably 1 to 3 mils thick. The flex PC materialincludes a dielectric substrate and a 3 mil thick layer of copper oneach of the first and second sides of the substrate. Conductive traces131 are formed on substrate 129 a by etching away copper betweenadjacent traces. To increase the amount of conductive material in eachsubassembly 129, the thickness of the conductive traces 131 is thenincreased to six mils on the first and second sides of the substrate.This can be achieved using a well-known mask and sputtering technique.The space between adjacent conductive traces 131 is filled with adielectric resin. In this embodiment, the dielectric material forsubstrate 129 a and for separating adjacent traces 131 is rated to 2000volts. The spacing between adjacent conductive traces in this example ison the order of ten mils and is preferably about four mils.

In this example, each conductive trace has a thickness of six mils, butcan be increased to 15 mils. As shown in FIG. 16 a, each conductivetrace 131 includes an outer section 131 b, a radial section 131 c thatextends in a generally radial direction from an outer diameter to aninner diameter of the conductor element, and an inner section 131 d thatextends from the radial section 131 c towards a center of the conductorelement. As with the conductor element 121 of FIG. 14, subassembly 129is designed to maximize the amount of conductive material adjacent tothe magnetic poles of an axially adjacent magnetic element (describedbelow). In other words, subassembly 129 is designed to maximize theamount of conductive material in the radial sections 131 c of eachconductive trace 131. Doing so maximizes the fill factor which in turncontributes to maximizing efficiency, motor constant, and power density.

As illustrated in FIGS. 17 and 18, each subassembly can have conductivetraces on both sides of substrate 129 a, in the manner associated withwhat is commonly known as a two-sided printed circuit board. In FIG. 17,conductive traces 131 on the first side are shown in a solid line, andconductive traces 137 on the second side are shown in a dashed line.Conductive traces 131 and 137 are essentially identical, mirroring oneanother in size and position. Each end of a conductor 131 iselectrically connected to an end of a conductor 137 via an inter-sidethrough-hole 139. Each inter-side through-hole 139 is plated on itsinterior to provide a conductive path in a manner well-known inmulti-layer printed circuit board manufacture.

A first terminal through-hole 141 is disposed at one end of one ofconductive traces 131 (i.e., coupled to a terminal portion 131 a ofconductive trace 131), and a second terminal through-hole 143 isdisposed at one end of another of conductive traces 131. Terminalthrough-holes 141 and 143 are plated through-holes similar to inter-sidethrough-holes 139, but they do not connect conductive trace 131 toconductive trace 137. Rather, terminal through-holes 141 and 143 formthe terminals of an electrical circuit. The conductor path of thecircuit, a portion of which is indicated by arrows 145 in FIG. 17,begins at terminal 141, follows one of conductors 131 on the first sideof substrate 129 a changes sides via one of inter-side through-holes139, and continues through one of conductors 137 on the second side ofthe subassembly. The portion of the conductor path indicated by arrows145 defines a winding. (In this example, the winding has only a singleturn of conductor, in a manner similar to the embodiment described abovewith respect to FIG. 14.) The circuit then follows a second winding byagain changing sides via another of inter-side through-holes 139, andcontinues through another of conductive traces 131. The connectionscontinue in such a manner (e.g., in a clockwise manner) until bridgeportion 145 a. The connections proceed in an opposite direction (e.g.,in a counter-clockwise manner) to terminal 143. The circuit shown inFIG. 17 includes twelve windings between the two sides of thesubassembly.

As shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, and as stated above, each conductive trace131 includes an outer section 131 b, a radial section 131 c, and aninner section 131 d. The inner section 131 d and the inner section 137 dof a conductive trace on the other side of substrate 129 a are coupledvia an inter-side through-hole 139. In this embodiment, the innersections 131 d and 137 d form substantially 45° angles with a line 138tangential to an inner radius of subassembly 129. Connecting the innerconnector portions 131 b and 137 b in such a manner minimizes theresistive or I²R loss P_(r) in the electric machine. Likewise, in thisembodiment, the outer connector portions 131 b and 137 b, coupledtogether by an inter-side through-hole 139, form substantially 45 angleswith a line 140 tangential to an outer radius of subassembly 129 for thesame purpose.

Although a conductor element may include only the windings of a singlesubassembly 129, such as that shown in FIG. 17, a conductor element caninclude windings of multiple subassemblies electrically connected inseries or parallel. As illustrated in FIG. 18, subassemblies 129 arebonded together to form a conductor element. A plastic sheet 147 (e.g.,of a dielectric or insulating material such as the commonly knownPrepreg material) between layers 129 bonds the laminations together whenheated and subjected to pressure, and also electrically insulatesconductive traces 137 of one subassembly from conductive traces 131 ofan adjacent subassembly. As illustrated in FIG. 19, terminalthrough-holes 141 of all subassemblies are electrically connectedtogether, and terminal through-holes 143 of all subassemblies areelectrically connected together, thereby electrically connecting thewindings in parallel to form a conductor element.

Referring to FIGS. 16 a-f, the different subassemblies are connected inserial. One skilled in the art will appreciate thatindividual-subassemblies can be joined in series and/or parallel, asdesired, in a conductor element. FIGS. 16 a-b depict the first andsecond sides of a topmost subassembly, FIGS. 16 c-d depict the first andsecond sides of a second subassembly (i.e., under the subassembly ofFIGS. 16 a-b), and FIGS. 16 e-f depict the first and second sides of thebottom subassembly. In this example, one of the conductor windingsbegins at a terminal portion 150 a and extends in a generally radialdirection towards the center of the conductor element 129. In FIGS. 16a-f, arrows are used to show a relative direction of current in radialportions of this conductor winding. Conductor 150 a is coupled toconductor 150 b on the opposite side of the subassembly as shown in FIG.16 b via an inter-side through hole. Conductor 150 b is coupled toconductor 150 c (FIG. 16 a) via another inter-side through hole.Accordingly, in FIGS. 16 a-b, conductors 150 a-1 are coupled together.Referring to FIG. 16 b, a bridge portion 151 couples conductor 1501 to150 m. Conductors 150 m-x are coupled together in a manner similar toconductors 150 a-1. In summary, the conductor winding in the subassemblyshown in FIGS. 16 a-b starts at terminal portion 150 a and continuesthrough conductors 150 b-1, bridge portion 151, conductors 150 m-x andterminal section 152.

In this embodiment, terminal section 152 on an upper side of thesubassembly shown in FIGS. 16 a-b is coupled to terminal section 153 aon a bottom side of the subassembly shown in FIGS. 16 c-d via a terminalthrough hole. In a manner similar- to what is described above, theconductor winding in the subassembly shown in FIGS. 16 c-d starts atterminal portion 153 a and continues through conductors 153 b-1, bridgeportion 154 a, conductors 153 m-x and terminal section 154. Terminalsection 154 is coupled to another terminal section in the nextsubassembly not shown via a terminal through hole 155 a (FIG. 16 a).Terminal through holes 155 b-k likewise couple terminal sections ofconductor windings in adjacent subassemblies in the conductor element(as do the other unlabelled terminal through holes). In the conductorassembly of FIGS. 16 a-f, thirteen subassemblies are coupled together insuch a manner. Terminal through hole 155 k couples a terminal section inthe twelfth subassembly (not shown) to the terminal section 156 a of thethirteenth subassembly shown in FIGS. 6 e-f. The conductor windingstarts at terminal section 156 a and continues through conductors 156b-1, bridge section 157, conductors 156 m-x and terminal section 158.Terminal section 158 is coupled to the uppermost side of the firstsubassembly via a terminal through hole 1551. Accordingly, a serialconnection of the conductor windings begins at the terminal section 150a and ends at terminal through hole 1551 in FIG. 16 a.

In the example of FIG. 20, the conductor element includes twelveconductor phase windings. In the 12-phase conductor element of FIG. 20,conductive traces 131 and 137 are arranged at an angular spacing of 2.5degrees and two conductive traces 131 from one phase are separated byeleven conductive traces 131 from the other phase windings. For purposesof clarity, only a portion of the conductor element is shown in FIG. 20,illustrating the pair of terminals for phase-1, labeled “φ₁ ⁺” and “φ₁⁻” and the pair of terminals for phase-2, labeled “φ₂ ⁺” and “φ₂ ⁺”Nevertheless, the completed conductor element would have 12 pairs ofterminals for phases 1-12. In the example of FIGS. 16 a-f, the conductorelement includes eight conductor phase windings. In this example,adjacent conductive traces from one phase are separated by oneconductive trace from each of the other seven phases.

In the embodiments of the conductor element described above with respectto FIGS. 16-20, a fill factor for the conductor element can be between60 and 90% and is typically between 80% and 84%.

In view of the embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 14, and 16-20, personsof skill in the art will understand that in other embodiments theconductors may have any suitable size, shape, and number of windings andturns. For example, in an embodiment similar to that illustrated in FIG.14, each winding may have two turns of rectangular wire havingwedge-shaped elongated portions.

Magnetic Element

In the axial field electric machine of the present invention, one ormore magnetic elements are provided that interact with the conductorelements discussed above with respect to FIGS. 14 and 16-20. Forexample, the rotor of the axial field electric machine can include oneor more magnetic elements such as the rotor disk 14 shown in FIG. 4.Again, to achieve a high efficiency, motor constant, and power densityfor the axial field electric machine, it is advantageous if the magneticelements have a low density and a high energy product (as discussedfurther below).

As illustrated in FIG. 4, each rotor disk 14 may include an annularmagnet 54 mounted on a hub 56. Hub 56 can have hub ventilation openings58 with angled, vane-like walls for impelling cooling air throughhousing 10. Each magnet 54 may be made from a suitable ferroceramicmaterial, such as M-V through M-VIII, oriented barium ferrite(BaO—6Fe₆—O), strontium ferrite (SrO—6Fe₆—O₂), or lead ferrite(PbO—6Fe₆—O₂). Alternatively, magnets 54 may be made from a bonded orsintered neodymium-iron-boron (NdFeB) material. Both ferroceramicmagnets and NdFeB magnets are known in the art and commerciallyavailable. As illustrated in FIG. 4, magnet 54 is polarized to providemultiple magnetic poles or sectors 57 uniformly distributed angularlyaround magnet 54. Alternatively, each magnetic element or rotor disk caninclude a plurality of individual sector-shaped magnets that are joinedtogether into an annular shape with an appropriate adhesive or supportstructure.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, each sector is polarized through the thicknessof magnet 54. Thus, each sector has opposite poles on opposite faces 60and 62 of the magnet 54. In addition, the poles of sectors 57 on face 60alternate with those of adjacent sectors 57 on face 60, and the poles ofsectors 57 on face 62 alternate with those of adjacent sectors on face62. In this embodiment, each rotor disk 14 is to be mounted on a shaftwith the poles of its magnet 54 axially aligned with opposite poles ofany adjacent magnets 54 (i.e., a North pole on face 62 of a first rotormagnet 54 will be axially aligned with a South pole on face 60 of asecond axially adjacent rotor magnet 54). Magnetic flux thereforetravels axially between such axially aligned poles.

As discussed above in this example, magnet 54 is mounted to a hub 56which in turn is mounted to a shaft. Referring to FIG. 9, an example ofa shaft 16 a is shown. Shaft 16 a is splined and provides a matingsurface for the central portion of the hub 56 a as shown in FIG. 10. Itis preferable if magnet 54 is mounted to hub 56 a before beingmagnetized to ensure proper orientation between adjacent magnets whenthe hub 56 a is placed onto shaft 16 a.

As illustrated in FIG. 15, annular disks or endplates 64 and 66, made ofa suitable high-permeability material such as steel, are mounted toouter faces 60 of the magnet 54 of the endmost two rotor disks 14.Endplates 64 and 66 contain the magnetic flux between adjacent poles ofthe rotor magnet 54 adjacent to endplate 64 or 66. By mounting highpermeability endplates to the endmost two rotor disks, the endplatesrotate with the rotor magnet thereby eliminating the core lossassociated with the high permeability material in the flux path of themagnets. As a result, the efficiency of the electric machine ismaximized.

As illustrated in FIG. 15, conceptually, the magnetic flux only “flows”from a sector 57 of a first one of the two endmost rotor disks 14,through axially aligned sectors 57 of adjacent magnets 54 until reachingthe second one of the two endmost rotor disks 14, where one of endplates64 and 66 directs the flux to an angularly adjacent sector 57. The fluxthen returns axially through aligned sectors 57 of adjacent magnets 54until again reaching the first endmost rotor disk 14, where the other ofendplates 64 and 66 directs the flux to an angularly adjacent sector 57.The magnets 54 other than the two endmost magnets 54 may be referred toherein for convenience as inner rotor disks or magnets 54. The flux thusfollows a serpentine pattern, weaving axially back and forth throughaligned sectors 57 of magnets 54.

Magnet 54 has at least one South and one North pole on each side 60 and62. The minimum number of magnet poles distributed around each face 60or 62 of magnet 54 is a function of the demagnetization characteristicsof the magnet material used. If the demagnetization characteristic has a“knee” in the second quadrant of its B-H curve at room temperature, thenumber of magnet poles must be sufficiently large to keep the magnetpoles from being irreversibly demagnetized before magnet 54 is assembledinto the electric machine.

FIG. 6 illustrates the axially-directed flux density B profile emanatingfrom magnet pole faces assembled into the electric machine. The fluxdensity is generally positive over North poles and negative over Southpoles. Between North and South poles the flux density passes throughzero flux density at the midpoint. 70 between poles of magnet 54. Whenmagnet 54 is formed by a single piece of annular magnet material, theinterpolar region 72 between magnet poles represents permanent magnetmaterial that is nonuniformly magnetized due to limitations inherent inthe magnetizing process. When magnet 54 is formed from a plurality ofsector shaped magnets, the interpolar region 72 represents theunmagnetized adhesive or support structure holding the magnets together.The transition width d shown in FIG. 6 is the width generally over themidpoint 70 where the axial flux density is significantly diminishedwith respect to its peak value. As explained in further detail below,this transition width d is used as part of a design algorithm for theelectric machine.

Electric Machine Design

As described in further detail below, two embodiments of an electricmachine designed according to embodiments of the present invention willbe shown. The first uses the conductor element design shown in FIG. 14,the second uses the conductor element design shown in FIGS. 16-20.According to an embodiment of the present invention, the magnetic andconductor elements are designed and ihe electric machine is designed soas to maximize the efficiency, motor constant, and power density of theelectric machine. The embodiments described below have a modular designallowing a user to select the number of conductor elements and magneticelements that are needed for a particular application.

First Embodiment

As illustrated in FIGS. 1-3, a first embodiment of the axial fieldelectric machine designed according to an embodiment of the presentinvention is shown. The axial field electric machine includes a housing10 (the center section of which is shown removed), multiple statorassemblies 12 (e.g., each including a conductor element similar to theone shown in FIG. 14) connected to one another and disposed withinhousing 10, and magnetic elements 14 (e.g., similar to the one shown inFIG. 4) connected to a shaft 16 that extends axially through housing 10.In this example, the conductor elements make up the stator of theelectric machine and the magnetic elements make up the rotor. Oneskilled in the art will appreciate that in an alternative embodiment,conductor elements can serve as the rotor and the magnetic elements canserve as the stator in the electric machine.

Housing 10 includes two endpieces 18 and 20, each having multiplehousing ventilation openings 22. Housing 10 may also include at leastone removable midsection piece between endpieces 18 and 20 that isindicated as a phantom line in FIGS. 1-3 but not shown for purposes ofclarity. Endpieces 18 and 20 and the removable midsection pieces can bemade of a light-weight plastic or metal (e.g., aluminum). Bolts 24extend from endpiece 18 axially through housing 10 through each statorassembly 12 and are secured by nuts 26 at endpiece 20. At one end ofhousing 20, ball bearings 28 retained between a first bearing race 30connected to shaft 16 and a second bearing race 32′ connected toendpiece 18 facilitate rotation of shaft 16 with respect to housing 10.A similar bearing arrangement having ball bearings 34 retained between afirst bearing race 36 connected to shaft 16 and a second bearing race 38connected to endpiece 20 facilitate rotation of shaft 16 at the otherend of housing 10.

In this embodiment, magnetic elements 14 are interleaved with statorassemblies 12 in the axial field electric machine. As shown in FIG. 14,conductor element 121 may include sockets 42 allowing any number of thestator assemblies 12 to be assembled into the electric machine.Conversely, the stator assemblies can be removed from the electricmachine as desired. Removable pins 40 plug into sockets 42 toelectrically connect each stator assembly 12 to an axially adjacentstator assembly 12. Accordingly, depending on the desired application(e.g., power output requirements), a selected number of statorassemblies 12 and magnetic elements 14 can be added to or subtractedfrom the electric machine as necessary.

An example of a stator assembly is shown in FIG. 11. In this embodiment,conductor element 121 is embedded, molded or similarly encased in asubstantially annular stator casing 104 made of a suitable dielectric orinsulative material. Stator assembly 12 has bores 106 through whichbolts 24 may be extended to physically interconnect them, as describedabove with respect to FIGS. 1 and 2. As similarly described above,stator assembly 12 has sockets 42 that may be electricallyinterconnected by removable pins 40. Stator casing 104 has a centralopening 108 through which shaft 16 extends when the electric machine isassembled, as illustrated in FIG. 2. The diameter of shaft 16 is lessthan that of central opening 108 to facilitate airflow through the axialfield electric machine.

The modular construction of the electric machine facilitates selectionof an operating voltage. Operating voltage is proportional to the totalconductor length for each phase. Thus, an operating voltage may beselected by adjusting the total conductor length for each phase. Eachstator assembly 12 has conductors 110, 112, 114 and 116, each definingone of the four phases. (See, e.g., FIG. 13.) By connecting, forexample, conductor 110 in each stator assembly 12 in parallel withconductor 110 in all other stator assemblies 12, the total conductorlength for phase-1 is minimized. Conversely, by connecting, for example,conductor 110 in each stator assembly 12 in series with conductor 110 inall other stator assemblies 12, the total conductor length for phase-1is maximized. The modular construction facilitates selectivelyconnecting the conductors of adjacent stator assemblies in either seriesor parallel.

One skilled in the art will appreciate that the magnetic element in theelectric machine described herein can be replaced with an suitablyconstructed aluminum disk to operate the electric machine as aninduction machine.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, each stator assembly 12 has indicia 158, 160and 162, such as adhesive labels, each indicating one of the voltagesthat may be selected. An operating voltage can be selected by connectingeach stator assembly 12 in an angular orientation in which the indiciaindicating a certain voltage are aligned. Indicia 158 are labeled “120”to indicate 120 volts; indicia 160 are labeled “480” to indicate 480volts; and indicia 162 are labeled “960” to indicate 960 volts. In theexemplary embodiment and the relative angular orientation of statorassemblies 12 shown in FIG. 1, indicia 158 are aligned to select anoperating voltage of 120 volts. To change the operating voltage, oneneed only uncouple one or more stator assemblies 12 and rotate them torealign indicia 158 such that they align to indicate a differentoperating voltage.

As illustrated schematically in FIG. 23, stator assemblies 12 areinterconnected to select a first operating voltage, such as 120 volts.Broken lines indicate an electrical connection. With respect to phase-1,each end of conductor 110 in each stator assembly 12 is connected by aremovable pin 40 to the corresponding end of conductor 110 in anotherstator assembly 12. Thus, all conductors 110 are connected in parallel.Similarly, with respect to phase-2, each end of conductor 112 in eachstator assembly 12 is connected by a removable pin 40 to thecorresponding end of conductor 112 in another stator assembly 12. Thus,all conductors 112 are connected in parallel. All conductors 114 and 116are similarly connected in parallel. Pins 40 at one of the endmoststator assemblies 12 may be connected to electrical power leads 44 (FIG.1). It should be noted that all indicia 158 are aligned, but indicia 160and indicia 162 are not aligned.

As illustrated schematically in FIG. 24, stator assemblies 12 areinterconnected to select a second operating voltage, such as 960 volts.As in FIG. 24, broken lines indicate an electrical connection. Withrespect to phase-1, with the exception of the two endmost statorassemblies 12, a first end of conductor 110 in each stator assembly 12is connected by a removable pin 40 to a second end of conductor 110 inanother stator assembly 12. Thus, all conductors 110 are connected inseries. Similarly, with respect to phase-2, with the exception of thetwo endmost stator assemblies 12, a first end of conductor 112 in eachstator assembly 12 is connected by a removable pin 40 to a second end ofconductor 112 in another stator assembly 12. Thus, all conductors 112are connected in series. All conductors 114 and 116 are similarlyconnected in series. Pins 40 at the endmost stator assemblies 12 may beconnected to electrical power leads 44 (FIG. 1). It should be noted thatall indicia 162 are aligned, but indicia 158 and indicia 160 are notaligned.

As illustrated schematically in FIG. 25, stator assemblies 12 areinterconnected to select a third operating voltage, such as 480 volts.In the same manner as in FIGS. 23 and 24, broken lines indicate anelectrical connection. With respect to phase-1, with the exception ofthe two endmost stator assemblies 12, the corresponding first and secondends of conductors 110 in two adjacent stator assemblies 12 areconnected to each other by a removable pin 40; a first end of conductor110 in one of those stator assemblies 12 is connected by a removable pin40 to a second end of conductor 110 in a third stator assembly 12; andthe corresponding first and second ends of conductors 110 in the thirdstator assembly 12 and an adjacent fourth stator assembly 12 areconnected to each other by a removable pin 40. Thus, two conductors 110are connected in parallel form a group, and then these groups areconnected in series. Similarly, with respect to phase-2, with theexception of the two endmost stator assemblies 12, the correspondingfirst and second ends of conductors 112 in two adjacent statorassemblies 12 are connected to each other by a removable pin 40; a firstend of conductor 112 in one of those stator assemblies 12 is connectedby a removable pin 40 to a second end of conductor 112 in a third statorassembly 12; and the corresponding first and second ends of conductors112 in the third stator assembly 12 and an adjacent fourth statorassembly 12 are connected to each other by a removable pin 40. Thus,groups of two conductors 112 are connected in parallel, and then thesegroups are connected in series. All conductors 114 and 116 are similarlyconnected in parallel groups of two that are connected in series. Pins40 at the endmost stator assemblies 12 may be connected to electricalpower leads 44 (FIG. 1). It should be noted that all indicia 160 arealigned, but indicia 158 and indicia 162 are not aligned.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conductors may beinterconnected in various combinations of series and parallel groups toprovide more than three selectable voltages. Moreover, the illustratedset of voltages is exemplary only; in view of the teachings herein,persons of skill in the art will readily be capable of constructing aelectric machine operable at other voltages.

Electrical power leads 44 extend into housing 10 and have plugs 46 thatconnect to sockets 42 in one of the two endmost stator assemblies 12.Although FIG. 3 illustrates a power lead 44 connected to the endmoststator assembly 12 adjacent endpiece 20, it could alternatively beconnected to the endmost stator assembly 12 adjacent endpiece 18 or anintermediate stator assembly 12. As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 3,openings or ports 48 and 50 in endpieces 18 and 20, respectively, admitplugs 46 into housing-10. A sensor 52, such as a Hall-effect sensor, ismounted to endpiece 20. Sensor 52 is adjacent the endmost magneticelement 14 for sensing pole transitions, as described below with respectto the operation of the electric machine. One skilled in the art willappreciate that other devices can be used to sense pole transitions in amagnetic element 14. For example, an optical grating may be placedaround the periphery of an magnetic element and an opticoupler can beused to sense reflected light from the grating using a stationary lightsource to indicate the position of the magnetic poles relative to thestator assemblies.

Second Embodiment

A second embodiment of the electric machine of the present invention isshown in FIGS. 12, 27-29 using the conductor element of FIGS. 16-20.Referring to FIG. 12, a cross section of this axial field electricmachine is shown. The axial field electric machine 200 is similar inconstruction to the electric machine of FIGS. 1 and 3. Electric machine200 includes a plurality of magnetic elements 201, such as rotor disks,attached to a shaft 205. In this example, shaft 205 has a configurationsimilar to that which is shown in FIG. 9. Hubs of axially adjacentmagnetic elements are separated by a ring separator 209. Electricmachine 200 includes a plurality of conductor elements 202 and connectorsupport elements 203, the construction of which is described in furtherdetail below. As with the electric machine design of FIGS. 1 and 3,electric machine 200 has a modular design in that any number ofconductor elements 202 (and connector support elements 203) and magneticelements 201 may be added to or subtracted from the electric machine asdesired.

In this embodiment, each conductor element includes a frame, such asframe 210 shown in FIG. 27. In the front view of FIG. 27, frame 210includes mounting holes 212, for insertion of a bolt or the like tosecure one frame to one or more such frames in the electric machine.Frame 210 also includes apertures 211 to allow air flow into and out ofthe electric machine.

Referring to FIG. 28, a front view of the connector support element 203is shown. The connector support element 203 also includes mounting holes212 (as in FIG. 27) for mounting to an adjacent frame 210. Connector pinassemblies 217 are provided to electrically connect selected conductorphases of one conductor element to selected conductor phases of anaxially adjacent connector assembly. In this embodiment, the connectorpin assembly includes a number of pins 220 coupled to a number ofsockets 221. Accordingly, pins 220 of one connector support element 203mate with sockets 221 of an axially adjacent connector support element203. A Hall sensor 216 can be provided for sensing pole transitions in amagnetic element rotating within an opening of the connector supportelement. Also, high voltage switches 218 can be provided to switch poweron and off to the conductor phases of the conductor element (see FIG.29).

Referring to FIG. 29, a partially completed axial field electric machineis shown with a conductor element of FIGS. 16-20, the connector supportelement 203 of FIG. 28, and the magnet of FIG. 3. The high voltageswitches 218 and connector pin assemblies 217 are selectively coupled toconductor phases of the conductor element. In this example, theconductor element is shown in FIG. 16 and includes mounting holes formounting it to adjacent conductor elements.

Controller

As illustrated in FIG. 21, the electric machine may be configured as amotor by connecting a brushless motor controller 130 of an essentiallyconventional design. In this example, brushless motor controller 130receives a pole sense signal 132 from sensor 52 (FIG. 3) and generatessignals 134 (φ₁−), 136 (φ₁+), 138 (φ₂−), 140 (φ₂+), 142 (φ₃−), 144(φ₃+), 146 (φ₄−) and 148 (φ₄+) for the conductor phases in conductorelement 121 in. FIG. 14. Signals 134, 136, 138, 140, 142, 144, 146 and148 are coupled to electrical leads 44, as described above with respectto FIG. 2.

As shown in the timing diagram of FIG. 22, brushless motor controller130 attempts to drive current in each phase while that phase issubjected to flux from a pole sector in magnet 54. As described infurther detail herein, it is preferable if the width of the radialportion of the conductor phases that pass through the flux of the magnet54 have a width that does not exceed the transition width d betweenadjacent poles as shown in FIG. 6. Accordingly, as a phase conductortravels across one magnet pole face, current is being driven into eachphase conductor 75% of the time.

In the timing diagram of FIG. 22, the voltage amplitude signals for eachof the phases are shown. In this example, the voltage amplitude for eachphase fluctuates between +350V, 0V, and −350V D.C. The brushless motorcontroller 130 includes a chopping or pulse-width modulating (PWM)circuit, as is known in the art, which converts the D.C. voltage signalinto a square wave signal having a duty cycle between 0 and 100%. Inthis example, the frequency of the pulse-width modulation is 20 KHz.Looking at the voltage signal for φ₁, the signal is at 0V when the φ₁phase conductor is completely within a transition width between magnetpoles. In FIG. 22, the pole sense signal is generated when a transitionwidth is passing the pole sensor. As the phase conductor passes from thetransition width to the next pole sector, the voltage amplitude jumps to±350V (depending on direction of rotation) and the duty cycle is set toa low value (e.g., 5%). The duty cycle can be raised as the phaseconductor moves into the pole sector, and the duty cycle is at a maximumwhen the phase conductor is completely within a pole sector. Theselection of a maximum duty cycle depends on the desired current in eachconductor phase (e.g., based on torque, speed, and/or powerrequirements). The duty cycle is again lowered when the phase conductoronce again begins to move within the next transition width. The dutycycle is lowered to zero when the phase conductor is completely withinthe transition width. As the phase conductor moves into the next pole,the duty cycle is increased, but the voltage level is inverted (i.e.,from positive to negative or negative to positive). In FIG. 22, one polesense signal is generated which is related to the presence of the φ₁conductors in the transition width. Pole sense signals relative to thephase conductors φ₂-φ₄ can be generated based on the pole sense signalfor φ₁. Alternatively, pole sense signals can be generated for all poles(e.g., using an optical grating pattern around the periphery of amagnet).

The motor controller can be easily modified to provide the same voltagesignals for any number of phases, such as the eight phases shown in FIG.16 and the twelve phases shown in FIG. 20. In the case of eight phases,current will be conducted in each phase 87.5% of the time. In the caseof twelve phases, current WIll be conducted in each phase 91.67% of thetime.

As shown in these embodiments, only the phase conductor within thetransition width d closest to the midpoint (e.g., 70 in FIG. 6) betweenmagnet poles is nonconducting at any rotor position. Therefore at anygiven rotor position a motor having N phase windings will have100(N−1)/N percent of its phase conductors conducting current andproducing torque. As a result, the electric machine maximizes itsconductor utilization, which maximizes efficiency, motor constant, andpower density.

Design Considerations

With the structure of the axial field electric machine given above forthe first embodiment, the specific design of the conductor elements 121and the magnetic elements 14 to achieve high efficiency, high motorconstant, and high power density is given below. With this designalgorithm, the axial field electric machine of this embodiment minimizesthe I²R loss denoted P_(r) earlier, minimizes the core loss P_(c),minimizes eddy current losses, and maximizes the production of torque.As a result, the electric machine will achieve and maintain highefficiency over a wide range of speeds, will exhibit a high motorconstant, and achieve high power density because torque production isoptimized.

Referring to FIG. 31, a graph is shown of the efficiency of an electricmachine constructed according to the present invention. In comparison toFIG. 30, the electric machine obtains a higher efficiency over a broaderrange of operating points. Accordingly, in a traction applicationrequiring operation of the electric machine at several operating points,the average efficiency will be far in excess of a typical electricmachine.

A first design objective is to select an axial spacing between adjacentmagnetic elements in the axial field electric machine. As discussedabove, the stator assemblies 12 are disposed between adjacent magneticelements. The permanent magnet flux, as described by its flux density B,that passes from one magnetic element axially through a stator assembly,then through the adjacent magnetic element determines the torque andback EMF (i.e., the performance) of the axial field electric machine. Assuch, it defines the operating point of the motor. This operating pointis commonly characterized in the art as the intersection between themagnetic circuit load line and the demagnetization curve of thepermanent magnet material used in the magnetic elements. Here themagnetic circuit is a mathematical characterization of the physical pathtaken by the magnetic field and its interaction with the materials inthat path. Two example demagnetization curves of a magnet are shown inFIG. 7. As is known in the art, curve 71 is the demagnetization curve ofa magnet that does not have a knee, whereas demagnetization curve 72 hasa knee where the characteristic bends toward the horizontal axis whenthe curve nears the axis. The presence of a knee, the slope of thecurves, and the intersection of the curves with the two axes is afunction of the magnet material type as well as temperature, with higherperformance and generally more expensive magnet material having higherpoints of intersection and no knee at room temperature.

Also shown in FIG. 7 are three example magnetic circuit load lines, 81,82, and 83 each having a different slope. The absolute value of the loadline slope is known in the art as the permeance coefficient, PC, whichis illustrated in FIG. 7. In its simplest form, the permeancecoefficient is approximated byPC=L _(m) /L _(g)  (Eq. 3)where L_(m) is the magnet length in the direction of magnetization(i.e., the axial direction in this invention) and L_(g) is the netmagnetic flux path length in air (including that through statorassemblies disposed between adjacent magnetic elements). Based on thisapproximation and with reference to FIG. 7, for a fixed magnet lengthL_(m), the electric machine operating flux density B_(m) is inverselyproportional to L_(g). See for example, B_(m) marking flux density atthe intersection of magnet demagnetization curve 71 and load line 82. AsL_(g) increases, the flux density operating point B_(m) decreases and asL_(g) decreases, B_(m) increases.

With this understanding of the inverse relationship between the electricmachine flux density operating point B_(m) and the net magnetic fluxpath length in air L_(g), the optimum spacing between magnetic elementsis based on the ideas (a) if L_(g) is zero, B_(m) is maximized givingthe potential for high torque since torque is proportional to fluxdensity. However, if L_(g) is zero there is no room between axiallyadjacent magnetic elements for stator assemblies containing conductorelements through which torque can be created. Therefore L_(g)=0 is notfeasible. (b) On the other hand, if L_(g) is made very large, theconductor elements can be made very thick in the axial direction, whichminimizes the I²R losses. However, making L_(g) large forces the fluxdensity operating point B_(m) to such a small value that little torquecan be generated. Therefore making L_(g) large is not feasible. (c) Theproduct of field intensity H (i.e., the horizontal axis in FIG. 7) andflux density B (i.e., the vertical axis in FIG. 7) is energy density. Assuch, it is known in the art that operating a permanent magnet where theabsolute value of the product of the flux density operating point B_(m)and the field intensity point H_(m) is greatest, maximizes the usableenergy available from the magnet material. In other words, operating atthe maximum energy density point provides the maximum flux density forthe least magnet volume or mass. For an electric machine seeking tomaximize power density, this is an optimum operating point. For mostcommonly available permanent magnet materials, the maximum energydensity point occurs at or near a permeance coefficient of one. FIG. 7illustrates this point at the intersection of demagnetization curve 71and load line 82. Using this value, a permeance coefficient of one asdictated by Eq. 3 implies that the optimum spacing between adjacentmagnetic elements (“S” in FIG. 15) is equal to the axial length of themagnet (L_(m) in FIG. 6).

A second design objective is to determine the optimum size of thetransition width (“d” in FIG. 6) between adjacent poles of a magnet 54.In the transition width area, flux emanating from one magnet pole flowsin approximately a semicircular path to an adjacent pole on the samemagnet 54, rather than traversing axially to an adjacent magnet. Underthe assumption that the transition between axial flow to an adjacentmagnet versus semicircular flow to an adacent magnet occurs when theflux paths are equal in length, the transition width is given byd=2L _(g)/π  (Eq. 4)where L_(g) is the spacing 77 in FIG. 15. Therefore, once the spacing 77is determined by the maximum energy density point of the magnet, Eq. 4gives the transition width.

A third design objective is to determine the maximum width of eachconductor phase, i.e., the section that extends radially in theconductor element through which torque producing magnetic flux flows,e.g., 131 c in FIG. 16. According to an embodiment of the presentinvention, the maximum width of each conductor phase is selected to beno wider than the transition width d as given be Eq. 4. This choicemaximizes motor efficiency as well as motor constant and power densityfor two reasons. First, it minimizes losses due to eddy currents inducedin each conductor phase due to motion of the magnet 54. By limiting thewidth of the conductor phase to the transition width, at no time doesany conductor phase simultaneously experience significant magnetic fluxin both the North and South directions. As a result, there are noinstants where significant eddy currents are induced in any conductorphase, which in turn increases motor efficiency and indirectly powerdensity. Second, by limiting the width of conductor phases, moreconductor phases can be placed radially around the circumference of theconductor element, thereby increasing the number of phase windings andthe percentage of the conductor phases conducting current and producingtorque simultaneously. As stated earlier, this maximizes torqueproduction while minimizing losses. For example, the exemplary conductorelement in FIG. 14 has thirty-two radial sections and four phasewindings or motor phases. The number of motor phases is generally givenby length of the outer periphery of sector 57 divided by the transitionwidth. The number of motor phases is in effect the number of transitionwidths that fit within sector 57. If R is the outer radius of a sector57, N_(s) is the number of sectors needed to form a complete annulus,and d is the transition width, the number of motor phases N_(p) is givenbyN _(p)(2πR)/(dN _(s))  (Eq. 5)Those skilled in the art will recognize that some dimensional variationsin R and d are typically required to make the number of motor phasesgiven by Eq. 5 closely approximate an integer.Uses

The axial field electric machine may be used to power any suitable typeof device, machine or vehicle. For example, it may be used in domesticappliances such as refrigerators and washing machines. It may also beused to power vehicles such as automobiles, trains and boats. One suchuse as a power plant in a vehicle is illustrated in FIG. 26. In theembodiment illustrated in FIG. 26, the axial field electric machine ismounted in a casing 164 that functions as the hub for a traction devicesuch as the rubber tire 166 of an automotive vehicle 168. The shaft 170is fixedly, i.e., non-rotatably, connected to the body of vehicle 168.The rotor disks 172, which are of substantially the same construction asdescribed above with respect to other embodiments, are fixedly connectedto casing 164 and thus rotate with tire 166. The stator assemblies 174are fixedly connected to shaft 170 but are otherwise constructed asdescribed above with respect to other embodiments. In operation, therotation of rotor disks 172 propels the vehicle while the shaft remainsstationary with respect to the ground.

In another application shown in FIG. 8, the axial field electric machineof the present invention can be used to reduce operating costs for anair conditioner unit. In FIG. 8, an axial field electric machine 230operating as a motor and constructed according to an embodiment of thepresent invention is coupled to a compressor 231 in the air conditionerunit 232. Due to its small size (i.e., relative to other motors used inthese units) and high efficiency, the axial field electric machine 230can be sealed within the compressor 231 in the air conditioner unit 232.Because of the high efficiency of electric machine 230, the operatingcosts for the air conditioner unit 232 can be substantially reduced.

The axial field electric machine of the present invention can be used ina variety of other applications. While this electric machine can be usedin virtually any electric machine application, its high efficiency,motor constant, and power density make it attractive for applicationswhere these traits have significant value to the end user or product.For example, the electric machine of the present invention is attractivefor many battery driven applications such as electric vehicles,including wheel chairs, scooters for elderly people, golf carts, andundersea vehicles. In these applications, the low mass and highefficiency of the present invention increases the vehicle range beforebattery recharging. The electric machine of the present invention isalso valuable in other portable applications such as portable generatorsfor commercial and military use. In these applications, the low mass ofthe present invention makes it easier to transport the end product andalso saves fuel due to the increased energy conversion efficiency of thegenerator. Yet another area where the electric machine of the presentinvention will be useful is in applications requiring tight integrationof the electric machine with the end product. Examples in this areainclude robotics, semiconductor processing equipment, embedded pumps andcompressors, and a variety of other high throughput automatic tasks. Asit stands, the electric machine of the present invention is superior orcompetitive in almost all applications. The degree to which it makesinroads in any application is dependent upon the degree with which highefficiency, motor constant, and power density impact the end product inwhich the electric machine appear. For example, it is unlikely that theelectric machine of the present invention will become popular inhand-held consumer hair dryers, residential vacuum cleaners, andconsumer appliances. Since high efficiency, motor constant, and powerdensity are not as important as cost in these applications, the presentinvention will appear in these applications only if the materials andmanufacturing cost of the present invention become competitive with theelectric machines currently used in these applications.

Other embodiments and modifications of the present invention will occurreadily to those of ordinary skill in the art in view of theseteachings. Therefore, this invention is to be limited only by thefollowing claims, which include all such other embodiments andmodifications when viewed in conjunction with the above specificationand accompanying drawings.

1-5. (canceled)
 6. An axial field electric machine comprising: a shaft;a plurality of conductor elements, each conductor element including anumber of conductors and at least one pin for selectively coupling aconductor from one of said conductor elements to another of saidconductor elements; and a plurality of magnetic elements capable ofbeing mounted to said shaft, each of said magnetic elements beingmounted adjacent to at least one of said conductor elements; saidconductor elements and said magnetic elements are capable of beingselectively added to and subtracted from said axial field electricmachine. 7-19. (canceled)